Building Bridges - Education and Neuroscience - Speaking a Common Language for the Benefit of Learning
Editorial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62695/OXID9595Abstract
The Symposium 2022 of the Institute for Education focused on “The Neuroscience of Learning”. It is a known fact that the brain and learning have an intimate link and when learning happens, the brain undergoes a change which can be chemical and structural. The papers presented here provide a remarkable insight into the area of neuroscience and create a connection with learning or the disposition of the individual to learn. The affective domain is placed at the forefront of the studies, highlighting the effect it has on the development of the child and the outcomes of the educational journey. Though brain research and its relation to learning is still in its early stages, it is imperative that we continue to delve into this field to investigate the processes that can be adopted to create a positive educational journey. It is through the collaboration between neuroscientists and educators that the pathway towards the development of a person’s full potential can be achieved. However, language can be a major barrier, considering the jargon used when communicating methodologies, analyses, and findings. Thus, bridging the language can be considered the initial factor that may result in translating the scientific findings of neuroscientists into personalised strategies used in the classroom and in the community to overcome learning hindrances and exploit the brain’s potential.
References
Anderson, J. F. (2015). Brain development in adolescents: New research – Implications for physicians and parents in regard to medical decision making. Issues in law & medicine, 30(2), 193–196.
Ansari, D. (2008). The brain goes to school: Strengthening the education-neuroscience connection. Education Canada, 48(4), 6–10.
Attard, K., & Schembri Frendo, C. (2022). The neuroscience of emotions and the role emotions play in learning. Malta Journal of Education, 3(1), 15-36.
Ausubel, D. P., & Fitzgerald, D. (1961). Meaningful learning and retention: Intrapersonal cognitive variables. Review of Educational Research, 31(5), 500–510.
Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Bezzina, A. (2022). “I feel what you are feeling”: Neural processes for empathy and its impact on academic and holistic achievement. Malta Journal of Education, 3(1), 37-66.
Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a theory of instruction. Belkapp Press.
Darmanin, J. (2022). Activating the child’s own natural desire to learn – Using neuroscience as a way to understand key issues in early childhood development and education. Malta Journal of Education, 3(1), 86-104.
Flinn, J. T., Miller, A., Pyatka N., Brewer, J., Schneider, T., & Cao, C. G. L. (2016). The effect of stress on learning in surgical skill acquisition. Medical teacher, 38(9), 897–903.
Garmston, R., & Wellman, B. (1994). Insights from constructivist learning theory. Educational leadership, 15(7), 84–85.
Grima, J. R. (2008). Perceptions of environmental science students on global warming and ozone depletion. University of Malta.
Hanfsting, B., Benke, G., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Comparing variation theory with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development: More similarities than differences? Educational action research, 27(4), 511–526.
Hotting, K., Schickert, N., Kaiser, J., Roder, B., & Schmidt-Kassow, M. (2016). The effects of acute physical exercise on memory, peripheral BDNF, and cortisol in young adults. Neural plasticity, 2016, 6860573. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6860573
Bourgeois, E. (2011). Piaget’s constructivism and adult learning. In P. Jarvis & M. Watts (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of learning (1st ed., Chapter 35). Routledge.
Johnson-Laird, P. N. (1983). Mental models. Cambridge University Press.
Koncz, A., Kassai, R., Demetrovics, Z., & Takacs, Z. K. (2022). Short mindfulness-based relaxation training has no effects on executive functions but may reduce baseline cortisol levels of boys in first grade: A pilot study. Children, 9(2), 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9020203
Paredes, M. F., James, D., Gil-Perotin, S., Kim, H., Cotter, J. A., Ng, C., Sandoval, K., Rowitch, D. H., Xu, D., McQuillen, P. S., Garcia-Verdugo, J.-M., Huang, E. J., & Alvarez-Buylla, A. (2016). Extensive migration of young neurons into the infant human frontal lobe. Science, 354, 6308.
Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child. Routledge.
Pulis, A. (2022). The fun imperative during learning: A neuroscientific perspective. Malta Journal of Education, 3(1), 67-85.
Richardson, K., & Richardson, K. (1998). Models of cognitive development. Taylor & Francis Group.
Rushton, S. (2011). Neuroscience, early childhood education and play: We are doing it right! Early Childhood Educ J., 39, 89–94.
Schweizer, S., Hampshire, A., & Dalgleish, T. (2011). Extending brain-training to the affective domain: Increasing cognitive and affective executive control through emotional working memory training. PLoS One, 6(9), e24372. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024372
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Whiting, S. B., Wass, V. S., Green, S., & Thomas, M. S. C. (2021). Stress and learning in pupils: Neuroscience evidence and its relevance for teachers. Mind, brain and education, 15(2), 177.
Wiliam, D. (2018). How can assessment support learning? A response to Wilson and Shepard, Penuel, and Pellegrino. Educational measurement: Issues and practice, 37(1), 42–44.
Zatorre, R. J., Fields, D., & Johansen-Berg, H. (2012). Plasticity in gray and white: Neuroimaging changes in brain structure during learning. Nature neuroscience (1097-6256), 15(4), 528.